Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Musings

To tell the truth, I've actually been feeling a little sad.

I used to be part of a very tight knit group of WoW friends but for whatever reasons, we are dwindling.

Thinking back on it though, people come and go in WoW just like in real life. Just because we play WoW not knowing how the other person looks like or what their real names are doesn't mean that the relationships we form with each other are not important.

As WoW players, we experience a sort of strange paradox. It is just a game and yet it is also not just a game.

We have to know how to have fun in WoW and not take it too seriously but at the same time, we can't take it completely easy and think that it doesn't matter what we do or say in the game because it is just a game.

So where are the boundaries? When are we too serious and when are we too carefree?A healer logs on and even though he is saved to a 10 man raid from the day before, he decides that he doesn't want to heal but wants to do dailies instead of finishing off the raid. He claims that the raid was too stressful and he wants to take it easy. The raid leader is upset, it is Monday night.Who is wrong here?

A guild has been struggling with an instance for a long time and one night they finally clear it. Up till this point, they had been having trouble with attendance but after this, people start being upset if they do not get invited to raids. Who should be invited?

A guild downs a boss and a rare item drops. It is best in slot. The choice comes down to a casual raider and the raider that has been there every single time but has not had the luck when it comes to the drops. Who should get it? Do you give the item based on seniority? performance? attendance? Their gear level?

What if the casual were really good and the regular raider were very bad?

What if it came down to an officer and another raider? The officer is very bad and the raider very good, who should get it?

What if the regular raider was really good and the casual just in raid to fill a spot?

These are all questions I am bringing up and I am not answering them. Just to point out somethings I've seen so far in WoW.

It is a very fine line to walk, being a good player and taking the game too seriously or having a ton of fun and being inconsiderate or selfish.

I think it depends on the individual players themself to determine how they want to play. Just keep in mind, no matter what you fall under in the wide spectrum of players out there - it is just a game but it is also real people.

I probably do take the game seriously and should lighten up a bit but I don't think that because I am good at a videogame that it makes me infallible or superior. I also don't think that I would be happy making people work to cover for my flaws or inability.

In the end, WoW basically reflects people. When I first started playing, my boyfriend told me that how people are in game is how they really are in real life. They show their true nature. The longer I play this game, the more I think he is right.

Do our in game selves reflect our true selves?

I don't know but I will try to be someone I want to be in real life even if it isjust a game.